On Track For Life
by Lemon Chekov
Summary: A F1 fic, where you see Webber as Ricciardo's dad
1. Chapter 1

**On Track For Life**

_Hello! So I know we're not supposed to write about real people, and I usually agree with that. But Formula 1 is very important to me, and this story, to an extent, represents the real life relationship and camaraderie between those it concerns, I'm guessing aound 90% of this story will be factual.. I just really wanna share what F1 is truly like, and maybe bring in some new fans. There maybe some technical terms and ideas but I'll happily answer any questions if you get stuck_

**Chapter 1**

" I can't do both Sadie, not even adults manage to both race and be there for their kids, not properly."

"Mark you are an adult, you've got to take responsibility"

"I'll support you and Daniel, I swear, but I can't be there for him, not enough" this conversation was breaking Mark's heart, but he knew it was the right thing to do, there's no such thing as young parents in formula one.

"I always knew I came second to your career, but I never thought you could abandon our son" Sadie spoke through her tears, holding onto their toddler

Why the hell did he dream about that? That was the worst day of Mark's life, where he felt more pain than when he simultaneously broke his leg and shoulder. Mark then reached under his bed and took out a small cardboard box, setting it on the bed in front of him, he took a deep breath before opening it. Inside were pictures of his family back in Australia, the pictures were of Daniel at different ages growing up, always with that goofy grin, the most recent of which was of him in his graduation suit after finishing high school, and even that was few years old now.

His phone rang, the caller ID showed it to be his team boss, Christian Horner, so he quickly gathered his emotions together and answered "Hey, Christian"

"Hi Mark, just checking you're still ok to come to the Torro Rosso driver announcement tonight, doing our bit to support the junior team and all that"

"Sure, no problem"

"Thanks, I'll see you later then"

Later that afternoon, Mark was at his pub, The Stag, just relaxing while he had the opportunity, it wasn't long before the season restarted after all. His phone vibrated in his pocket, caller ID Sadie "Hey, you ok?" he answered softly

"Mark, I gotta tell you something"

"What's wrong?"

"Not wrong, just complicated. It's Daniel, he's going into Formula 1"

"What?!" Mark responded loudly making customers turn and stare, so he walked out back "How? Doing what? Which team?"

"He's racing with a junior team, fairly new he said, Torro something"

"Torro Rosso, you kidding me, that's our junior team! I'm going to the announcement tonight! Why didn't you tell me he was planning any of this?"

"I didn't know he was that serious about racing, I knew he liked, but of course he would, you're his dad, but since he got a flat with his mates he's told me nothing, and now he's flown out to Europe to compete against you"

"Ah jeez" Mark sighed, this was one incredibly messed up situation "ok, does he know about me?"

"No"

"Are we gonna tell him? I mean, it's gonna be hard for me to be around him..."

"Don't tell him, not right away. It's gonna be overwhelming enough, remember how you felt your first season"

"Yeah" this conversation hd taken a rather sad turn

"I'm sorry, Mark" Sadie sympathized, she hated lying to her son as much as Mark did

"I know. I guess I brought this upon myself"

"Don't think like that. You did what you thought was right, that's all you can ever do"

"Sure" he knew it was true, but right now it wasn't good enough "I'll let you know how tonight goes, and I'll see you in a couple of months I guess"

"Yeah. Bye Mark"

Ugh. Suits. Mark hated them unless they were pre-fixed by the word 'racing'. Even though it was a Torro Rosso announcement, the event was being held at the Red Bull base in Milton Keynes, so at least it was a familiar place, apart from that he was a nervous wreck, he was about to meet his now adult son for goodness sake. The fact he had to sit next to his team mate turned major rival, Sebastian Vettel, did not help his mood. The evening passed slowly as various FIA members, sponsers and team officials gave their speeches, nothing Mark hadn't heard a million times before.

Finally, Torro Rosso's team principal Franz Tost took to the stage and spoke in his Austrian accent "And now for the moment we've all been waiting for, the driver line-up for this year. From France, Jean-Eric Vergne" the room applauded as the young Frenchman walked onto stage and gave his short speech of gratitude. Next, the moment Mark had been anticipating "Alongside him will be Australian Daniel Ricciardo" Mark applauded alongside everyone else, and didn't take his eyes off his son as he bounded on stage and joked

"Damn, guess I'll have to cancel my Reading Festival tickets" and the room laughed, no wonder he was always smiling.

Franz took to the microphone once more "Of ocurse being at their base, we have the two Red Bull Racing drivers with us tonight, would you gentlemen like to join us onstage" Mark and Sebastian did as they were told "Now, I hope you experts can teach our boys how to be the best and be positive role models for them"

Mark instantly replied "Of course we will" and he meant it, sincerely, he would do anythign to protect his boy from the evils that came with this sport.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Mark stepped off the plane straight into the sun and knew he was home. Australia. It was March, beginning of the season. This year was going to be even better though, he was going to visit Sadie and get closer to his son. He entered his flat and dumped his luggage, ordered a take out and texted Sadie to come over.

An hour later, it was almost like the last eighteen years hadn't happened, they got on so easily, it was friendly and romantic, and more than either had hoped for. They avoided the subject of Daniel for most of the evening, that talk was inevitable, but for most of the night they simply enjoyed each others company.

"You're gonna keep an eye on him aren't you?" she asked as they cuddled on the couch

"Of course"

"Good, but, don't smother him ok? Let him make his own mistakes as you did"

"I just don't want him caught up in any negativity or politics, I can't imagine him not smiling"

"He knows there are those issues"

"I know. God, this is gonna be so hard"

"I know"

Thursday came around and the Paddock was open, Mark cycled round the circuit, as was his favourite thing to do as a warm-up for the weekend ahead. He was just finishing his third lap when a voice called;

"Not bad for an old timer" he turned around and saw Daniel leaning against the pit wall with that constant smile.

Mark smirked "Who are you calling old timer?" Daniel came away from the wall stretching his arm out to introduce himself

"Daniel Ricciardo, it's great to meet you properly, I don't count anything that involves ties" Mark smiled as his heart swelled at the similarities already present bewteen them as he accepted his son's handshake. "You're a local boy aren't you, my mum mentioned you were from around here"

"Yeah. Who's your mum?"

"Sadie Ricciardo, she said she went to high school with you"

"Yeah she did, small world"

"Cool" there was a slightly awkward pause as both men processed the connection "Anyways, I better go, do you wanna grab a drink sometime?"

"Sure, that would be great, that's if you wanna be seen with an old timer" they both chuckled "I meant what I said at the announcement you know, this sport can get complicated and stressful, but I'll help you through it, all you've got to do is ask" it felt good to tell him this honestly

"Thanks" Daniel felt slightly awkward, but hey, he needed to get to know as many people as he could around here.

The rest of the weekend went pretty well for both of them, Mark finishing 6th and Daniel behind him in 8th, which for a first race in a car like his was pretty damn good. So on that Sunday, they decided to have that drink.

"You did well today kid"

"Thanks you too"

"Meh, I guess" he replied, as he took a thoughtful sip of his beer, they both knew why Mark couldn't do better but neither wanted to bring up that sore spot on theri night out "So, have you made any friends yet?" He continued to keep the conversation light.

"Yeah, Vergne obviously, that Paul Di Resta kid is a laugh, in fact most of the youngsters seem cool, I haven't had the courage or opportunity to talk to the more experienced ones like you"

"That's cool, there's no need to be scared of us, we're all here for the same reason. But I will say, watch who's talking to who, the older ones have influence on sponsors etc, you don't wanna get caught up in anything" Mark knew he'd over-stepped.

"Ok." he responded to the advice solemnly "You've really been hurt by all that hven't you?" Great, this was the conversation they didn't want to have

"Yeah, it all just fell apart for me" Mark mumbled into his beer

"I'm sorry" he genuinely meant it "You're a great guy, you didn't deserve any of it. You could easily be number one if things were different"

"Thanks, means a lot." how was it his son was now looking after him? "Anyways, tonight was meant to be a celebration, so let's get another round in"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

A few races in and the Formula 1 season found itself in Monaco. It was one of the highlights of the season, a glamorous and classic race loved by both drivers and fans. Mark and Daniel had become great friends, despite the fact it was killing Mark inside not to be honest, as he believed the witholding of the truth to be as bad as lying, but it was more than he'd experienced before so he couldn't complain.

"Hey man, me, Paul and some others are going round the clubs tonight, wanna join us?" Daniel excitedly asked Mark at the end of Thursday's pratice.

"Course" he smiled, any leisure time spent with his son was valuable, now it was time for him to look after him though. "Hey, mate, I couldn't help but notice you were struggling through the chicane earlier, are you ok around here"

"Fine, it's hard, but I've got plenty of time to sort it out" Daniel brushed off embarrassed that his failures had been noticed by everyone

"Alright, just be careful out there, it's not exactly a crash-free track"

"Yeah, I'll see you later" Mark knew that Daniel wasn't ok, and was in fact very nervous, but he couldn't help him anymore given the current status of their relationship...and also young drivers can be very stubborn.

Race day came around eventually, in some ways it was nice to have an extra day in the race weekend, but when you consider that day is spent mostly with sponsors, it's not that fun, especially if, like Mark, you're disillusioned with your team, let alone their sponsors. Mark didn't see Daniel until they were out on the grid, he managed to get a moment with him as their teams prepped the cars, as had become their routine before each race.

"How you doing?"

"I'm fine" Mark could clearly see that his son was not fine, but in front of all the teams and press he couldn't show any nerves.

"Just be careful out there"

"I will" and they hugged. It was the first time this had happened, and Mark's memories of holding his baby boy in his arms came flooding back.

I was halfway through the race, Mark leading the grand prix, this is one of the few tracks he had a great winning record at, for some reason it all just came together for him here. Just as he crossed the line to start a new lap, Christian came on radio

"Yellow flag, yellow flag, calm it, it's probably going to become red" Yellow flags meant that someone somewhere had crashed, it was inevitable round here, for all drivers, old and new, but round here they often turned into reds because it's a narrow circuit and people need to clear crashed cars, Mark didn't want to stop because then he would have to buid up his lead again.

Mark was just coasting back to the pits, he was just coming out from under the bridge into the sunlght, when he saw smoke rising from a familiar blue, red and god car. There was debris everywhere, and the whole front wing was crumpled into the barrier. Then he saw someone was still in the car, never a good sign, but then he saw the helmet and knew exactly who it was. Before he could stop himself, he had pulled up beside the wreck, got out of his car, and he could hear Christian in his ear

"Mark what are you doing? Get back here now or you'll get a penalty!" But he just ripped off his helmet and his radio with it, and ran to his son.

"Daniel! Daniel, speak to me kid!" He knew better than to move him or take his helmet off, it could cause further injury. The man in the wreck coughed and wriggled

"Hello" He looked around dazed "Mark?" he was confused as to why Mark was with him, had he taken him out in the crash?

"Daniel!" Mark was so relieved to hear his voice, it was a good start "Can you get out?"

"My foot's stuck"

"Ok, don't worry we'll sort it...I'll stay with you" The marshals were coming over now, so he informed them of Daniel's state "mild concussion, and his foot's trapped" Monaco marshals were the best, and they got Daniel out in no time.

"Why's your car here? I didn't hit it did I?" Mark laughed, unsure of what to say, so he smirked

"Thought you'd need a ride back. Are you feeling up to it?"

"Hell yeah!" Daniel smiled, he'd always wanted to ride on an F1 car.

The race restarted, and Mark ended up winning, but he didn't do his usual crazy Monaco celebrations. Of course, he did his backflip into the Red Bull roof pool, and pushed his old team mate DC in, but after that he quickly showered and went to the hospital to check on Daniel.

Overall, Daniel had been very lucky, there was no real damage to his foot, just some bruising, and his concussion was wearing off quickly.

"Hey"

"You ok?"

"Yeah, I feel better, wanna get outta here, but they're keeping me in overnight, sucks" they both laughed cautiously, racing drivers feel invincible, even when injured. Then Daniel suddenly got serious "I've seen the footage of what happened after the crash. Why did you stop for me?"

"The crash looked pretty bad, you were still in the car, I wanted to know if you were ok." it wasn't a lie, technically.

"But you don't normally stop for a crash like that, no one does these days, you're old but you're not that old"

"You sure about that?" he joked

"I'm serious. Why me, why not any of the others?"

"Because you're my son"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Daniel stared at him for a moment "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm your dad"

"You can't be, your just my mentor, and my friend...god how old were you?!" he was disgusted more than anything

"Too young, that's why I left, I wanted to give you the best chance" Mark was panicking now, this was not the way he planned on telling the truth

"What with a young single mum?!" Daniel raged

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry, I love her" he cried " but I got a spot racing F1 and can you imagine what people would think?" They both went silent, breathing heavily, trying to process the situation. They both knew more had to be said but neither knew how to start. "I'm going to catch my plane now. Daniel, where we go from here is your call, but I really hope we can make something good come from this"

It had been a week since their conversation at the hospital, and Mark hadn't heard anything from his son. He'd always hoped that they'd somehow find each each other and be accepting, but now it just seemed like Daniel hated his guts, and that hurt, a lot.

Daniel had gone back to Australia, it wasn't scheduled and raised a few eyebrows amongst his team, but he needed to talk to his mum about all this.

"Daniel, what are you doing back?" Sadie asked surprised as he walked through the door, looking determined.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" She knew where this was going, Mark had phoned ahead, but she wanted to know how much Daniel knew and how he felt

"Mark's my dad, and no one ever thought to tell me this. Not when I was akid, not when I started karts, not even when I got into F1!"

"What good would it have done? To know you had a father who couldn't see you, or be there for you?" Sadie reasoned, but also defended Mark

"He could have! Plenty of drivers bring their kids to races!"

"Yes, but they're all adults, we were kids, younger than you are now, would you want to walk through the paddock carrying a baby?" Daniel instantly felt ashamed, of course not, racing is no envvironment for a kid, maybe if he wasn't a racer himself he'd be pissed that he came second to racing, but he knew you can't give up F1 seats for anything. He felt himself emotionally drain and relax whilst tears came to his eyes. "What is it sweetie?" his mother asked as she saw this change in attitude

"I wanted to hate him for so long, for leaving us...now I can't, I know Mark, he's the greatest, and now knowing what he gave up..."he just curled into his mother's arms

"Sweetie, he never left us" he looked up confused "who do you think paid for you to go karting?"

Mark was wiping down the bar when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket 'We need to talk. Daniel' he read, instantly he replied 'Sure. Why don't you stay at mine Thursday night, we'll drive to Silverstone together.' Just as quickly the response came 'Ok, cool'


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Daniel arrived at Mark's house early Thursday evening, his house was big but honely, just like the rest in the area, now Daniel understood why Mark was humble and wanted to blend in, avoiding attention.

They sat on the couch awkwardly, each with a beer in hand, again there as so much to say but nowhere to begin.

"I heard you went home, caused a frenzy at Torro" Mark finally broke the silence

"Yeah, I just needed to see mum, get her side of the story"

"What did she say?"

"Same as you. I always wanted to hate the guy that left her because I thought he hurt her, but you didn't really did you?"

"It felt like I had, I always felt guilty"

"You shouldn't, not anymore. I get it, you did what you had to do" the moment was tense, but not uncomfortable "So do I have to start calling you dad now?" they both laughed

"No, you don't have to, maybe at Christmas"

"Are we gonna tell anyone about this, at work I mean? Or do people know already?"

"A few people know I have a kid, no one knows it's you though. I think we should keep this between us for now though"

"Ok" Daniel was a little upset, he finally had the father he always wanted, but couldn't show anyone "Shame, I wanted to tell all the kids at school that my dad's the best racer in the world" he mimicked his best child's voice. Mark laughed

"Take a look at the points table kid"

Friday morning Mark drove the both of the mto Silverstone, it wasn't unusual for them to arrive together, so no one questionned it. This was the best Mark felt arriving at a grand prix for ages, there was a spring in his step as he entered the Red Bull motorhome, that was until he saw Christian in the boardroom looking run down being spoken to by Helmut Marko. These meetings never meant good things, not for Mark anyway. But they were very informative, so he crept closer to the door to hear what they were saying.

"Sebastian outperforms Mark in every way, at every race" the elder German said

"Mark is still valuble to us" Christian argued

"Not enough"

"His contract is still valid, so unless I get a valid reason, I'm not going through all that legal rubbish"

"We're a _young _drivers programme, I've got plenty of boys lining up to take his seat!"

"Like who?!"

"Ricciardo! Or even that Di Resta fellow, but Ricciardo's one of our own"

Mark had heard enough, and snuck away unnoticed. Did the team reall hate him that much? Did him staying for the sake of it stop his son progressing?


End file.
